A Las Vegas insider has lashed out over the city’s dramatic plunge in visitor numbers, pointing the finger at those he says are responsible and naming names.
Aaron Perez, a hospitality veteran who has been planning Vegas events for 16 years, blames greedy casino overlords for driving out tourists with exorbitant prices.
He says Sin City is collapsing under the weight of corporate greed and even his reliable go-to spots for drinks, dinner or dancing are now failing him due to soaring costs.
‘The numbers are down, and for so many locals I think the reason is obvious – which is they got greedy,’ Perez told the Daily Mail. ‘Tourists and locals are being nickel-and-dimed to their limits.’
The Nevada city, once buzzing with glitz, glamor and gambling, has recorded a sharp drop in tourism and spending in recent months.
Perez described his disbelief after a friend stayed at the ARIA Hotel and Casino, where a Diet Coke cost $15 and a bottle of water an eyewatering $26.
He also balked at paying $40 for nachos that were ‘literally just tortilla chips with nothing on them.’
The hotel also offered ‘Kettle Chips, Butter Popcorn or Pretzels’ for $21 and ‘Roasted Peanuts of Fancy Mixed Nuts’ for $34.50.
Las Vegas is in the middle of a tourist exodus that one event planner has blamed on soaring costs for food and drinks
Aaron Perez believes that two factors have contributed to the lack of international tourists: corporate greed and politics
The Daily Mail reached out to ARIA for comment.
Perez, the Canadian co-founder of GXP Tours Las Vegas, which offers party packages and limo tours, says regular tourists chasing a good time are no longer being catered to.
‘The comp culture that once brought people back to Vegas is diminished or gone, and instead the Strip has kind of been pricing out their bread-and-butter visitors in favor of trying to only cater to the top one percent,’ he added.
‘And frankly, it’s not really working for them.’
‘I used to go to the Strip pretty frequently,’ Perez said. ‘[I’d] take my friends there… [but they] overcharged to the point that people have just stopped wanting to go. As a local who’s been here sixteen years, I never go to the Strip.’
Many residents and businesses have noticed tourists aren’t showing up in the numbers that Vegas became accustomed to over the years.
‘Our bread-and-butter clients were not American,’ Perez said. ‘We basically have survived the majority of the last 16 years off of Canadians, Mexicans, Brits and Australians.’
‘That’s who’s coming here for bachelor parties. It’s a huge destination for people to travel to, whereas now, a lot of them are opting to go elsewhere.’
Perez believes that two factors have contributed to the lack of international tourists: the Strip’s rising prices and politics.
‘It feels like [tourists] are not coming here in the numbers that they used to, and I’m positive a lot of that has to do with political reasons,’ he said, seemingly referring to negative international reaction to President Trump’s ‘America First’ approach.
But the real culprit is corporations taking advantage of their clientele to try and recoup their losses, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, Perez said.
‘If you’re going to a casino to give them money, to get gouged on to just sit and literally give away your money and gamble, why are they charging for parking?’
‘If you show up to check in for your hotel room, there’s an early check-in fee,’ Perez continued. ‘There’s long lines because people are not getting properly staffed and if you’re paying 30 plus dollars for a cocktail, how much do you feel like tipping the bartender?’
The perks that many casinos and hotels used to offer for free now come with a hefty price tag which, Perez believes, is hugely insulting.
‘All Caesars properties prior to Covid used to have something called a diamond lounge, and if you were a diamond-rated player there were places where you could get free drinks, free food, you could watch sporting games. You could hang out and socialize,’ Perez recalled.
The eye-watering cost at ARIA hotel and casino included nachos for almost $40
The eyewatering costs even extend to soft drinks like water and soda
Perez is hopeful, however, that Vegas is only in a temporary slump. ‘A flip is going to happen, and I think we’re witnessing it right now,’ he said
‘A lot of the perks that you used to get here simply vanished, and I reckon that is all due to greed,’ he said. ‘There’s always someone at the top who is going to make their money no matter what; a lot of them are out of touch with the pulse of the city.’
‘They are testing the upper limits of what people are willing to pay, and yes, they have no other option. Until they decide enough is enough.. [if] I’m going to go out with friends. I will tell them let’s go somewhere else.’
Perez believes that Vegas’s only shot to bounce back is for companies to give back to their clientele.
‘I think the message is being received,’ he said. ‘[There are] countless articles about how people are being turned off, locals especially, from being on the Strip and how they are demanding change.’
He said ‘in small ways’ he had seen ‘indicators’ that businesses were picking up on the frustration felt down the Strip, and that they have to start giving back to customers ‘if they want to survive’.
Perez said it’s a model his business has adopted for its party packages, where he is shunning the traditional mega clubs in favor of more bespoke experiences.
‘We started focusing on how it makes people feel and providing quality and value, as opposed to just trying to get as much out of people as we can,’ he explained.
But such benefits disappeared when the pandemic hit, never to return.
Perez is hopeful, however, that Vegas is only in a temporary slump.
‘A flip is going to happen, and I think we’re witnessing it right now,’ he said.
‘I think we’re right at the cusp of it. I don’t think they can push it much more than they currently are with jeopardizing their profits.’
